Child Left Behind
by kehkanSKlover
Summary: Everyone said Mina looked like her late mother. Even more of them said, despite her hair color and eye color, she resembled her late aunt Cecilia. Now Living with her Uncle Max, life was drastically different. His love for his dead wife has turned to a terrifying obsession. He speaks of getting her back, the only thing he's missing being a body. KaibaXOC Bad language/Mature themes
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Gi Oh.**

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Chapter 1

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Why? Why did no one come? No one even thought about coming, didn't they? Maybe he was right. They didn't care. They never cared. They didn't care that right now she was cold, hungry and alone. No one did... well, no human did. He wasn't a human. He was a monster. An obsessed monster. Her head itched and her hair fell in clumps. Her eyes watered and she could barely see between the pain and the darkness. What she would give for someone. Anyone.

The door creaked open and she stirred, panicked by the sudden invasion. It was the last person she wanted to see. Person? No, it was him. The monster. He strode arrogantly over and she shuddered into a corner. It was just like last time. Just like every time. He came... he beat her... he took her. It was because she wasn't perfect enough. She wasn't... her.

"How are you my pet?"

"I am well, my love." Her voice answered in the manner he had instructed it to. It wasn't even her controlling her own speech anymore. She belonged to him. In every way.

"Then you wouldn't mind taking care of a little pest for me? It's nothing too stressful. Just make sure he doesn't get out." The rusty bars of her cell opened slowly and she perked up. This had never happened before. She didn't know what to expect. She settled with just raising her head a little, but not moving.

No sooner had she done so than did a little boy get violently shoved into the cage with her.

"Let me out! You better let me go, or I swear my brother will kick your ass!" The feisty black haired boy shouted, shaking his fists and cursing. It was a person. Just as she wanted. The second the thought passed through her she immediately regretted it. She didn't want a person here. That would mean they would be trapped with her. Doomed to live as she did. She would never wish that on anyone.

"He'll hurt you if you struggle." She warned as the door leading out closed and the weight the air held when he was around lifted. The boy spun and squinted through the darkness.

"Who... who are you?" She stopped. What should she say? She knew what the monster would want to hear, but what should she say to this boy? Did the monster want her to... no. there was only one option left. Her former self was dead.

"My name... is Cecilia." The boy got closer, moving to where he could see her better.

"Cecilia... hi, I'm Mokuba. Are you trapped down here too?" She pondered for a moment before nodding. "Then you don't need to worry. My big brother is coming to get me and he'll get you out too." She looked up at him for a moment, but didn't stir. Didn't get happy, or excited. The boy was so sure of himself, but she didn't think it possible to escape.

But... If it were true... If his brother was coming to get him... She may not have someone waiting for her... looking for her, caring for her, but if he did, then there was a chance.

"My name isn't Cecilia. That's the name he makes me use. My actual name is Mina." Mokuba sat back, confused.

"Makes you... why?" She shook her head. She never had to put it in words, and she didn't think she had the strength to. "Well... Mina, once Seto comes, you wont ever have to be called Cecilia again." She smiled. Just the thought was enough to give hope.

* * *

"Max, how have you been faring?" An elderly woman placed her hand on his shoulder as he moved to hug her.

"I have been... It's been difficult. I miss her so dearly. As we all do. Luckily you have Mina to keep you company. She looks just like her. Her face I mean. She really took after Cecilia." He said, looking over at the young teen sitting herself down for some tea.

"You know what they say. A child will take after their god parent of same gender. Though I must say..." The woman quieted her voice and leaned into him. "It's been rather difficult for Alexander and I to take care of her proper. We've already raised our generation of children, and though I love my granddaughter, it's just so hard. She looks so much like her mother, and her aunt. I see them both in her, and it pains me that I've lost both of my daughters. I do love her, but..."

"Then, perhaps I can help. When Alexandria and her husband died, Cecilia always did want to adopt Mina. How about I take care of her. It'll do some good to have someone else in the house. A lady's touch again. It will warm it." He offered before sipping some tea of his own.

"That might work well. I'll have to ask her-"

"No need. I see how handling me is so stressful for you. Grandmother, it's alright. You've raised me from an infant. That's more than you ever had to. And in four years, I'll be of age to claim my inheritance. I'll be out of everyone's hair. Besides, I did enjoy my summers at the Pegasus household with both Aunt Cecilia and Uncle Max. If you truly mean it, I would be happy to come with you." She bowed politely and smiled up to her uncle as she moved with him towards his car.

"You really do look so much like your aunt..." His voice called out as the memory faded. Her eyes snapped open as the door closed quietly. There was someone inside there. The boy rose next to her. He had fallen asleep against her in the cell.

"Cecilia, it's time." The monster called. She rose robotically, but Mokuba tugged on her arm.

"What? Where are you going? What are you going to do with her?" The boy demanded. He had spunk. If he were a little older, a little bigger, he would probably be strong enough to take them on. If his brother was anything like him, they would be safe soon. She just had to bare it long enough.

"It's alright Mokuba. I'll be back soon." She didn't want to leave his side. She had been alone and scared so many nights in that cell, she wouldn't wish it on another soul. But this was something she had to do. Maybe even... for the last time.

He pulled her into the light. It had been so long since last she saw it, she had begun to think her eyes would never adjust. She held back a whimper as he tugged on a strand of hair.

"This wont do. This wont do at all." He beckoned someone from behind her and they gripped her arm and waited for his instruction. "Her roots are showing. Bleach it again." He said simply.

"B-but sir, her head hasn't healed up from last time. If I put bleach on the irritated skin-"

"Cecilia didn't have dark roots. Her hair was pure spun sunshine. That's what I want. Sunshine. Get her some new contacts as well, these ones are faded." He said dismissively, moving away and leaving her to the man.

There was no use in begging. Pegasus's threat was more dangerous than her plea for mercy. The bleach burned and stung in ways that sent her head reeling. It took hours for them to get the right shade, her natural hair color being black. They applied the toner and washed the now blond hair, the only other color being the blood seeping from the sores atop her head. When it came to the contacts, she had been forbidden to touch them, not entirely knowing how to remove them. They instructed her to open her eyes and tilt her head back. They touched the things, but she didn't know how to grab and pull them out.

She tried only once. It resulted in ripping the thing in half. One half out and in her hand, the other floating around inside her eye socket. It was terrifying. She had gotten in so much trouble for it and never wanted to try again. They removed them quickly, placing in new ones as needed. Her head felt like it was on fire. Her eyes like they were filled with sand. But this wasn't real pain. That was the next part. She moved off to the master bedroom of the castle.

"Welcome my darling." He greeted her. She felt sick. She always felt sick when he spoke. She nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Don't look so grim my love. Soon you will be complete. I have the final key. The final plan." He turned to her from staring out the window. A light smile tugged on his lips. "Once I have you back... Cecilia..." He moved to her, and as usual, she had to fight the urge to run. His fingers traced her jawline as her worst nightmare played itself out again.

* * *

Mokuba paced back and forth, genuinely confused. His confidence was wavering every day and with that, her hope died already. She was desolate. Not only was she not being rescued, she had to watch as his hope died too. She pulled him to her and hugged him gently.

"How... How long have you been in here?" He asked quietly. She didn't want to answer. The answer would kill him. Would kill his hope.

"Mokuba, don't worry abou-"

"No! I'm not a little kid. I know what this is. I know what I'm waiting for may not... No, he'll come. He always comes. He's the strongest, smartest best big brother in the world and he'll rescue me. No matter what. So stop trying to protect me. I know already. I know... so just tell me."

"Three and a half years." The boy was quiet for a while. It was almost unbearable the silence. She had been alone for so long, the silence was her only friend, but now that the boy was here with her, her old friend was now a deadly enemy. "He'll come." She whispered finally. She didn't know if she believed the words, but she hoped he did.

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**Dark and creepy, but Mokuba aint getting down. He know's he's got the best teammate in the world. The one, The only... wait...where is he?**

**Read, Review, Enjoy~Love Ya!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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Almost an entire week passed since Mokuba was caged with her. He really brightened up her dank little 'home'. He told her of major occurrences in the outside world, reminding her that there was life out there just waiting for them to rejoin. He told her of his family, his brother, and his deceased parents.

"I'm an orphan as well. My mother and father died when I was little. Maybe three or four." She said, thinking back, but unable to remember them.

"Hey, me too, I mean, I was three. Seto was eight. Well, actually... Mom died when I was born. Dad died when I was three. My aunts and uncles used up all the inheritance we would have gotten, and sent us to the orphanage. None of them wanted Seto. I don't know why, but he wouldn't leave me. Even back then."

"I was supposed to inherit my own when I turn eighteen... but... I'm not sure what's left. He used almost all of it."

"How? Cant only family touch your inheritance?" Mokuba asked, but Mina turned away.

"He... He's my uncle. He was married to my aunt..." The boy's eyes widened and a look of disgust washed over him.

"But, family is supposed to take care of you..."

"That's what I thought too." She glanced to the side, hurt by the current subject, but a thought crossed her mind to change it. "Mokuba, why did he take you?"

"What? Oh, they want my brother's company. He's the CEO of Kaiba corp, and they want to use me to get it from him." It was her time to widen her eyes.

"CEO... but wasn't that Mr. Gozaburo's corporation?" Mokuba seemed shocked that she even knew about him.

"Yea... he adopted me and Seto. He only wanted Seto, but my brother challenged him to a game of chess for me. He wouldn't let him separate us. Seto won and Gozaburo... died."

"I'm so sorry..." She tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but the boy pulled back.

"Dont be. He wasn't a very fatherly person." He had venom in his voice and hurt in his eyes.

"What? He was a wonderful father..." Mokuba stared at her incredulously.

"How would you know? Were you there?" He demanded. She hadn't been on his bad side yet and was beginning to think she had finally stepped over to it.

"N-No, not... not for your... I used to know his son, Noah, before he..." The boy calmed himself, but retained the confusion. "Noah was Gozaburo's son. A close friend of mine. Actually, my grand mother and Gozaburo were setting us to be married. It would have expanded the businesses and created strong bonds between two strong families. But Noah died, just over seven years ago. He was hit by a car. Gozaburo didn't leave his house for almost half a year. I did hear something about him visiting an orphanage, but nothing about the adoption."

"You knew him?" The boy asked in wonder. She nodded and he sat, thinking for a little bit. "Then... I guess he changed."

"I... I don't know what to say."

"It doesn't matter. He's dead now. He cant hurt big brother anymore."

"H-Hurt?" The boy jumped back a bit, his hands over his mouth.

"What? No-nothing! Nothing! Never mind. I didn't say anything." he tried, obviously fearful of what he had let slip.

"Calm down, I'm not going to tell anyone... I mean... who would I tell?" She tried a tentative smile, and he did put down his hands and calm himself, as a matter of fact, he became deadly serious and moved closer to her.

"He'll come and get us. He's already been through hell. This will be nothing. And when you get out, there will be plenty of people to talk to. Just... don't mention Gozaburo... please." There was something about this boy. This boy and his brother. If anyone could get her out...

* * *

More days passed and Mokuba had developed a cough. She gave him most of the food they got to share, but he only seemed worse and worse. She glanced up at the only small window she was allowed. It was barely six inches by twelve inches, barred for no real reason. The moon clung high to the sky, only losing it's grip slowly as the night dragged on.

They had chatted more about their lives before containment, sharing hopes and dreams and goals. Mokuba was still very young, only thirteen. She was closer to his brother's age. They had been through so much together, she no longer had any doubt that they would be able to overcome this obstacle as well.

Mokuba shifted, but something else had caught her attention. It caught the guard's attention too. He spun quickly towards the stares but a moment later, he fell and another man stepped out. This one was young, younger than the others. He was actually around her age- was it? Was it really him? Mina could do little but look on as he made his way to the cage.

He was tall. Tall and intimidating. The furious look on his face didn't help. His hair fell in chocolate locks, dusting his eyes. His blue eyes. Bluer than the contacts she was forced to wear. His gaze roamed over the insides of the cage, stopping on her momentarily, but moving off to the boy as he began to stir.

"Ugh... uh... big... big brother?" The boy slowly blinked into consciousness, but immediately jumped up. "Big brother! I knew you'd be here! I know you'd come! I never doubted it for a second!" Mokuba went to make his way to the bars, but his tired little body didn't make it. Mina moved to catch the boy as his legs failed.

"He's sick. They've been ignoring him." She explained.

"Just take it easy kiddo, I'll get you out of here." The elder, Seto, bent to pick the lock but a voice froze him.

"I figured you would make it here Kaiba boy." It was the monster. The monster was behind him. He didn't hesitate to raise and face the mocking creature.

"I should take you down right now for what you've done to my little brother." He said coolly.

"In my dungeon, in my castle, on my island, the only one to make threats is me." He chuckled and brushed his hair aside, revealing a small gold eye. He had gotten that just after taking her in. She never felt right about it. Now, she was afraid of what he would do.

A bright light blinded past the rest. The older boy shielded his view while Mina turned away, but both of them stopped as a cry echoed out. Mokuba fell limp against her, unmoving. His brother glanced inside and tensed.

"What did you do to him?"He demanded, unable to turn away. The monster merely held out a card, the image of Mokuba on the front, and laughed.

"His soul is trapped within this card."

"You're insane." The monster just chuckled again.

"He's now kept in a dungeon where the locks cant be picked. And if you want him back, you'll have to duel me."

"What? Duel? Now? Fine."

"Not now, first, you must duel Yugi. Gain back the honor you've lost. Then come to me. Oh, and Kaiba boy, if you fail, Mokuba will be mine forever." The creature turned, moving back into the stairwell and disappearing into the darkness. The boy stood there, unmoving. It was an eternity before he turned down to the little boy in the cage.

"I... I'll take care of him. I promise." His piercing blue eyes flickered over to her. "I wont let that... I wont let him touch him." The elder boy paused, but eventually nodded and disappeared into the darkness.

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**Here he comes!... and there he goes... First sighting of Kaiba! To answer questions, yes this takes place in the Duelist kingdom arc. I've even taken some lines from the anime here. **

**Also, I'm still going to be publishing one chapter a day every day except weekends, so see you guys again on monday (it's friday here).  
**

**Read, Review, Enjoy~Love Ya!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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It was almost two full days since Mokuba's brother, Seto, had been there to save them. Two full days of waiting and wondering. Of hoping and praying. She listened for any noise she could hear. The monster removed the guards from the basement, no longer worried that the elder Kaiba was a threat. Any day... any minute he would come. He had to come. Mokuba hadn't moved at all. Hadn't eaten or anything. He was... moving?

"Mokuba!" She cried as the boy tried to lift himself.

"What... happened? Where... where's Seto?" He seemed full of energy now that he was awake again.

"Calm down. He... he was forced to do a few things... but it looks like he was able to pull it off. I was so worried." She said, trying to get him to sit back down, just in case. She finally managed to get him to sit when she heard footsteps rushing towards them. A moment of panic and fear washed over her, but was soon replaced with joy. It was him.

"Big brother!"Mokuba was up and on his feet again, but she couldn't blame him. Seto leaned down and unlocked the cage, opening the door and promptly being tackled in a hug from his brother. "I told you... I told you Mina. We're free..." The boy managed between sobs.

"Let's get the hell out of here." He rose again and turned towards the exit, pausing a moment. Both brother's looked back at her and she realized her legs wouldn't move. They weren't hurt, they just wouldn't budge. "Aren't you coming?" Her eyes moved up to his, then down to Mokuba's and she nodded hastily. She slowly forced her way to her feet and moved to the cage's door. A wave of fear crippled her as she paused at the threshold.

Her breathing became rapid and her body trembled, but soon it was hushed. A small hand extended to her. She followed it up to Mokuba's smiling face. He was standing before her, one hand out to her and the other securely entwined in his brother's.

"You're free now. I told you he would come. You don't have to be afraid anymore." His words gave her the strength to reach forth. She gripped his hand, moving into the hall just outside of her personal hell. She took one look back at the stairs, but the elder got her attention again.

"This way." He said simply and she followed them out to the bright sunlight.

"Kaiba!" Another boy's voice called. Her eyes hadn't adjusted to the light yet, but she knew it was someone new. She heard footsteps and some mumbling. There were people. People and light and fresh air. It was heaven. As her vision finally focused, she was standing before a small group of people, all looking to Mokuba's brother. "I'm glad to see you're safe!" The shorter one in front called.

"Yes. Thank you Yugi." Seto replied stiffly. "Now, I've got things to do." He began towards a large open field with a helicopter in the middle, Mokuba in hand.

"Hey, who's this?" A taller blond boy asked and the brothers froze. Mokuba looked back as Joey neared her. Her hands curled before her and she looked up at him worriedly.

"What's you're name?" A brunette asked creepily. "You're pretty." The words sent shivers down her spine. She hated how she looked. She hated being called that. She didn't want them near her.

A tug on Seto's sleeve brought his eyes down to his little brother, who looked up at him pleadingly. He sighed and moved off, leaving his brother halfway between the copter and the group.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" The blond yelled as he moved between the boys and Mina.

"It's none of your business who this is." He said simply, removing his trench coat and slipping it over her shoulders. He didn't say anything else, but extended an arm, leading her toward Mokuba and the copter. She glanced over at them, then back to him, bowing politely and finally moving with him towards the aircraft.

"What a jerk... hey... wait... if the boats for the other contestants already left... how do we... Wait! Kaiba!"

* * *

The ride in the helicopter had been a bit awkward. Mokuba sat next to Mina as she stared out the side of the aircraft. The others filtered in around them and Mokuba's brother flew the thing. He flew it to a private runway where he left the copter in the hands of one of his associates. Mina had no clue what to do, so she just followed Mokuba.

"This is where you leave. I do owe you a bit more than just a ride home, Yugi, but for now, I've got other matters that need addressing." The short boy nodded and waved goodbye as his friends followed him off. Seto then turned on his brother and the girl with him. "Mokuba, a word?" The boy looked up to her, smiled, then moved off with his brother. They were still in sight, but far enough that their words fell deaf before they made it to her. After a few minutes, they returned.

"Mina!" Mokuba cried happily. He moved to her side and hugged her, causing her to smile in turn.

"Mokuba informs me that you might have an inheritance. If you would like, we can look into it and see if you can claim it." Mina looked down, not willing to make eye contact with him.

"I... cant. I cant claim it, even if it's there. Not for another seven months. When I turn eighteen."

"I see. I figured as much. I'll still look into what's left and in the meantime you'll be staying with us, if that's alright." She looked up at him finally, through watery eyes but said nothing. She was too stunned to do anything really.

"Stay with us Mina!" Mokuba repeated the offer, taking her hand and swinging her arm about. A smile graced her lips as she sobbed. Suddenly a stinging sensation in her eyes took over. The contacts were itching again. She moved to rub her eyes, but it only worsened the pain. "Mina?"

"I would love to."

"Then why are you crying?" She paused for a moment, but the pain was too much. She rubbed more, but the damned thing wouldn't stop.

"It's not that... my eyes, they hurt." She didn't see him move towards her, but the elder Kaiba stood face to face with her, looking into her false blue eyes before stepping back.

"Contacts." He said plainly.

"He... makes me wear them." She said, answering an unspoken question. His eyes narrowed and Mokuba moved next to her again.

"You don't have to wear those anymore." He said happily, but he didn't understand.

"I... don't know how to get them out." she admitted sadly. No sooner had she said it than did Seto lift her chin gently.

"Hold still." She tilted her head back and looked up as she had done a hundred times before. She felt his fingertip softly and dexterously pluck one contact from her eye. She immediately rubbed the thing, removing any dirt that was caught under it. It was still painful, but that pain was just a dull ghost of the cause and would fade soon.

He guided her chin up again and collected the other, whipping it onto the ground where it would remain until someone swept it up with the rest of the trash. She rubbed the other in a similar fashion, but fell to trying to sooth the remnant aches but rubbing them both more. His fingertips grazed her cheeks and around her head as he attempted to lift her eyes to his, steadying her head. She almost got all the way up when a cry escaped from her and he jerked back. He had touched her sore scalp.

He looked at her confusedly with his hands up, as if to claim he wasn't a threat, but his eyes trailed to his reddened fingertips. He more carefully approached her again, this time, looking at her hair. He gently picked some up, looking at the roots and then stepping back.

"Bleach." He revealed.

"Yes... I'm... allergic." She looked away, unable to meet any stare. She was a freak in this world. A broken used girl. She had no place there.

"Come on. Let's get you checked out." her eyes searched around confusedly, but Seto had already started off. Mokuba grabbed her hand and led her with them to the car approaching.

"Wait..." They both stopped and she looked at the ground again. "I... I'll go to the orphanage instead."

"You would rather go to an orphanage, than a mansion?" the elder's voice questioned her.

"You've saved me. Taken me away from that..." She paused to shudder. "You've done enough. You shouldn't have to care for me as well."

"You misunderstand." He commanded her attention once more. He wore a plain face, just looking her over as if she was nothing special. It was a nice alternative to... "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for him. He wants you to come. You want to make it up to us? Make him happy." He turned away once more and she glanced down at Mokuba, who was smiling widely. And that was that.

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**Oh, Seto, cant you even act like you care? But we know on the inside you're a huge softie, after all, one of the best skills a business man can have is getting what you want without other people knowing you want it. Ok, well, dont forget to feed me those tasty reviews! MMMMMmmMMMmmmmmMMMmm revieeeeewwwwwsss...**

**Read, Review, Enjoy~Love Ya!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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He insisted on giving her privacy. She didn't want it. She didn't want to be left alone with a strange man with strange tools, poking at her and prodding her for little over two hours. And the places he explored... she never wanted anyone to touch her there again. But they said it was necessary. That she needed it. The man rose and escorted her back out into the hall where Mokuba and his brother stood.

"There are... several medical ailments." the doctor approached tentatively.

"Well?" Seto requested impatiently. The doctor shook his head.

"I cant tell anyone other than her and her guardian." She looked up at the boy and found he was looking at her as well.

"I am her guardian." The doctor looked over to her and she found herself nodding hastily.

"I'm sorry Mr Kaiba, but I happen to know for a fact that you are only allowed legal guardianship over Mokuba. Every doctor knows. You might be able to find a doctor with less morals who would be easily bought to forget this fact, but that would require more people in here, doing the same things I did to her for testing." he turned to face her. "How many more of those could you take?" He said quietly. Almost sadly.

Seto's eyes fell on her, as did Mokuba's and she shuddered. She never wanted anyone to touch her like that again. Seto sighed defeatedly and turned back to the doctor.

"Is there anything you can say?"

"I can only give my recommendation. Vitamin supplements, a high protein and carb diet, medicated sensitive scalp shampoo, and she should see both an optometrist and a therapist." He said obviously trying to keep the emotions out of his voice. He turned to Mina and offered her a sad stare. "If you need anything at all..." He raised his hand to put on her shoulder, but she flinched and he gave her her space. He looked solemnly to Seto once more before moving out of the room and the mansion altogether.

"Mokuba. Shower. Now." He instructed to the still filthy boy. She had already taken one. It was the first thing she did before the doctor came. He nodded for her to follow him and led her down a hallway. He stopped at a door and opened it. "This is your room." He explained as she peeked inside.

The room was huge. The window oversaw the back yard which was expertly tended to. A large garden sat decorated by sculptures and fountains. She smiled and glanced up at Mokuba's brother again. He wore a slightly confused look.

"It reminds me of my old room, with my grandparents, before..."

"Good." He moved on, pausing for her to follow a few feet away. He showed her the kitchen, dining room, and living room before starting back up to her bed room.

"The ball room is just over there isn't it?" She asked, freezing him in his tracks. He looked to where she pointed and nodded slowly. He watched as she took a tentative step towards it, then stopped and looked at him. He sighed, moving around the staircase he was about to climb and opened the door to the grand hall for her. Immediately she lit up. She looked years younger as she moved slowly past him into the room.

She wandered over to the middle of the western wall and frowned.

"You removed the jukebox?" She glanced over to him and he furrowed his brow and nodded slowly.

"It was inferior." He slowly spoke, completely confused as to how she knew of this house. His house. He moved towards her and she nodded, slowly touching the machine that replaced the juke. A high end stereo powered by a tablet computer and wired to speakers around the room. "How do you know of this place?" He asked accusingly.

"I used to come here as a child. Mr Kaiba... uh, I guess that's you now. Gozaburo held balls here, and I was part of one of the families always invited. My mother and father were close with him. Even after they died he still invited my family." She could tell the subject of his adoptive father was sore, and remembered what Mokuba had said about him. She couldn't believe it. He was always so warm and caring to her and Noah. She looked up to the current Mr. Kaiba and he held what would have been an unreadable expression, but somehow she saw right through it. "What... did he do to you?" She found herself asking before she could stop the words. She wanted to know. It couldn't have been as terrible as Mokuba led it to be, could it?

He spun in place, starting out the door.

"Drop it." He said quietly and angrily, but she couldn't. Gozaburo... he was supposed to be her father in law. What would have happened if-

"Was it really that awful?" She almost didn't want to know, but something inside her cried out. If Noah didn't die... if she never was taken to that dungeon, would it have all still happened? The same life at the hands of a different offender?

Seto had stopped. He stood quietly for a short eternity before turning back to her. He walked up to her, power in his stride and fury on his face. It scared her. She stumbled backwards into the wall, but there was nowhere to go.

"You want to talk about Gozaburo? How about we talk about Pegasus then? What did he do to you down there? Tell me, was it really that awful?" He glared, merely an inch above her face. She shook and looked up at him, completely horrified. He knew it was. He didn't know what had happened, but he knew it was terrible. He took a few breaths and calmed himself, moving away and giving her space to do the same.

He started back towards the door, now regretting his outburst. She had been through so much. He didn't want her to feel threatened in this house. She looked so much like...

"He beat the hell out of me. Broke my leg. Cracked some ribs. Every two weeks, he would re-fracture one of my bones. That way he could tell everyone I was a slow healer and get away with it. He was angry, and I thought it was because of me at the time, but now I know it wasn't. It didn't matter how good I was. He would have done the same thing. He was a lunatic." He couldn't look at her as he said the words. He felt weak even admitting it. He braced himself against the wall with one arm as a hand came up to steady his head.

So it was true. Her life would have been the same. With or without Noah.

"He dressed me as his dead wife." She said quietly. She could feel his blue eyes on her but looked to the ground. "Bleached my hair so it was like hers and made me wear contacts that turned my eyes blue. He called me Cecilia... my aunt's name. My aunt's look. He used me as her. And if I struggled, he broke me." He closed his eyes and frowned, moving back to her, only this time, he was there for comfort. "But the worst part wasn't the physical pain. It wasn't even that he raped me.

"He was gentle. How can you hold someone down and rape them with love in your eyes?" Her voice had risen and she was openly sobbing now. Just thinking about it... the man must have truly been sick. It would take a true psychopath to 'sweetly' rape a girl. Not even a woman yet. "While he was over me... he really thought I was her... I never want to be her. I never want to look like this again..." her fingers trembled as she tugged at her hair. Seto grabbed her hands and pulled them away before she could damage herself.

"No one is ever going to hurt you like that again." He said slowly, pulling her into him. "No one is ever going to hurt us like that again." he whispered against her head as she sobbed into him. "I'm sorry."

* * *

The room she was in was blindingly light. It was a cold light. Empty. She refused to let either brother leave her this time. She didn't want to be inspected alone again. Mokuba sat atop the counter with her as Seto took a seat in a real chair. The doctor flashed lights into her eyes, had her read from a chart and put a series of lenses before her. Finally he was finished and her eyes were focusing as usual again.

"I'm afraid the damage to the corneas is severe. Glasses and contacts wont help her vision and light sensitivity. Her sight wont degrade any farther, but she'll never see as well as everyone else without surgery." The doctor concluded, facing Seto. Mina looked down, kicking her feet under her as she mulled over the information the doctor just gave them. She didn't think her sight had any issues, but when you sit in the dark for so long, you forget what the rest of the world looks like.

"Would you be able to handle that?" Seto's voice called out to her. She glanced up at him and he was looking back at her.

"What?"

"Surgery. Can you handle that?" She thought for a moment.

"But that's expensive and we still don't know about my inheritance."

"It's not an issue." Seto said dismissively.

"You've already done so-"

"Just answer. Can you handle surgery?" She hesitated a few more moments before nodding.

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**Another chappie down. Looks like lines are being crossed and tempers are being lost. How much of this can they really take? I'd just smack something. Like a butler. They're paid well enough. They can take it. ^.~**

**Read, Review, Enjoy~Love Ya!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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Mokuba rushed around a corner and she came quickly after. She giggled as he stumbled over the edge of an opening door and slowed to loom over him. She then bent and tapped him on the nose.

"Tag." He raised his head and glared at her, then at the offending door.

"Oh, Seto... I thought you went to work today." He said as the elder brother showed himself as the reason for the door's offense.

"I worked from home." His eyes wandered over the two. He started working just a week ago, and over the last three she had made herself a permanent part of Mokuba's day. They played together and ate together. Every once in a while they would nap together and fall asleep in front of the television late at night. They were inseparable.

"Wanna get pancakes?" His brother tossed him a disapproving look and shook his head slowly.

"It's four." he pointed out, but Mokuba just smiled.

"So?" Seto rolled his eyes and glanced over at Mina.

"Your surgery is scheduled tomorrow." She nodded and bowed politely.

"I understand."

"Also, I've been able to find out about your inheritance." She returned her eyes to his, but they were unreadable. "It's gone."

"And... my grandparents?" She looked up at him hopefully, but he only shook his head. "When?" was the only word she could squeeze out.

"Two years ago." He watched as she blinked back tears and composed herself. She was getting better at managing her emotions and keeping herself under control, at least, while she was safe in his mansion.

"I figured as much. What... do I do now?"

"I couldn't exactly throw you out on the street." He observed, gaining a glare from his brother. "Mokuba would kill me." He got a stubborn nod from his brother and held back a smirk. " And I guess you haven't aggravated me yet, save that one time..." He did smirk that time, walking past her to his personal computer lab and leaving them be in the halls.

* * *

Mokuba rushed to catch the ball and ended up dropping it and chasing it as it flew behind him. Mina smiled at him as he ran to it and plucked it up. Her eyes were healing up well, and though the surroundings were still fuzzy and the light hurt, she was happy.

"Alright, time to go." She called out and Mokuba looked up at her sadly. "Your brother said to be home by sundown and if we don't start now it's going to be dark." She reasoned, but he was having such a good time. She sighed. This rouse worked on Seto too. He would pout, sniffle and get his way. She knew it was coming, but no amount of steeling herself against it would save her. He was just too cute.

They stayed almost two more hours before Mokuba's cell phone rang. He gave a shifty smile up to Mina and tentatively answered it.

"Hel-"

"_Get the fuck home."_ Seto immediately hung up, not leaving any time to respond.

"He's mad." Mokuba said sheepishly. She gave him an 'I told you so' look and took his hand. The streets were dark and unfamiliar to her, but Mokuba skipped on, knowing the best way home. They almost made it all the way there. Almost.

"God you're fucking perfect." A voice croaked out as an arm gripped Mina's. "Lose the kid and we can have a great time." the owner of the voice, pulled her against a building crusher her between it and himself.

"Hey! Get the hell off of her!" Mokuba launched at the man's leg, biting his thigh and he cried out, kicking the boy hard.

"Mokuba!" the girl screamed out, but the man had returned focus to her.

"You're just so pretty." Alcohol leaked from his breath as he ran an unsteady finger down her cheek. It made her sick. She hated being called that. She hated being looked at like... She struggled as hard as she could, kicking and yanking, but he stopped her with a hand at her throat. "Calm down, love. You'll really like what I'm gonna do to you. I promise."

"Wh-why..." She wanted to ask why he was doing this, but words failed her, and … where was Mokuba?

"How could I not want to... with a face like that..." His uneven fingers traced her jaw again and she kicked, bringing her knee up into him and making him fall back. Before he could look up, before she could even run, a smear of blue and brown rushed past her and tackled him down. Mokuba grabbed her hand and tugged her away.

"Get inside! I'll make sure he's ok!" the boy called, looking between her and his brother. She didn't hesitate to rush back into the mansion and by the time she got to her room, she couldn't control the shaking.

'You're just so pretty... You're fucking perfect... With a face like that...' it swirled into her mind and she rushed to her desk, moving and shifting things until she found what she was looking for.

Seto stalked back into the mansion, waving his hand dismissively to the maid that rushed to bring him a cleaning cloth. His lip was split but other than that, he was fine. His injuries weren't what was on his mind.

"N-No!" He heard as he rounded the corner to the hall her room was off of. He sped up, barging into the room to find a maid yanking a pair of scissors out of Mina's hands. Her hair was chopped and dropped in uneven layers on the floor. The girl turned away immediately and the maid looked horrified.

"Sh-She was trying to cut her face..." The maid said defensively and Seto moved past her and knelt before Mina. The girl pulled away, but he wouldn't let her get far.

"Mina?" Mokuba's voice called from the door. Seto glanced up at he maid and nodded towards him. She got the hint. She took Mokuba out into the hall and closed the door behind them.

"Look at me." He quietly commanded, not wanting to touch her and make her more uncomfortable. She slowly found his eyes. She had a small gash under her left eye. Nothing major, and with proper treatment it would heal up just fine. "Did he touch you?" Her fingers rose to the small cut immediately.

"Just my face... he... he called me pretty. I hate... I hate that word. I hate being pretty... I don't want to look like this anymore." She broke a little and he tugged her against him.

"You're not." Her sobbing stopped and she tried to look up at him hopefully. He gave her the space to do so, and smirked down at her. "You're not pretty. You're beautiful."

"You... you're bleeding."

"So are you." He pulled her against him again. "Listen to me. If I'm going to get hurt protecting you, you cant hurt yourself. It defeats the purpose." He said in a frustrated sigh.

"I never wanted you to get hurt for me." She chocked back a quiet sob. He sighed again and glanced down at her before placing his lips against her opened flesh. Their blood mixed as he kissed her cheek softly and pulled back.

"I'll never let anyone touch you. Never." He promised. Her face was barely an inch from his, and she leaned in a little. His eyes became half lidded as he inhaled her scent. He could feel her breath on his lips and they screamed for him to kiss her... but...

He pulled away, rising and taking her to her feet.

"You should clean up. And take care of that. You don't want it to get infected." He warned before turning to leave the room, but paused. "I'll get a hairdresser in here tomorrow. We'll fix it and... color it back to your natural color. You wont have to look like that anymore."

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**D'awwwwww. Cuteness and a scare. What more do you expect from one of my fics? Soooo. I apologize for saying I would strike a butler. Maybe some of you are butlers, or maybe a parent or friend is one. There I said sorry, now will you review? (Guessing that was the cause for less reviews that chapter)**

**Read, Review, Enjoy~Love Ya!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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Seto shuffled his cards in front of him. Just when life was beginning to normalize for him, his world was thrown out of whack again. No. She tried to throw it out of whack. He would never let that happen. He finished shuffling and put them away, turning to look over the city. What could he possibly do to outdo all other tournaments? There have been cruise tournaments, island tournaments, mountains... picnics... The sky. That's what he would do. He would take it to the sky. With the new god card, he couldn't lose.

That night he ordered his maids to hold off on dinner until he got home. Usually Mokuba and Mina would eat without him, but tonight he had a few things he needed to go over. Once back home he could smell the meal waiting for him and hurriedly put his things away before moving to the dining room.

Now inside, he paused. Mokuba and Mina were already seated, the food untouched.

"We heard you step in." Mokuba explained and Seto moved to his spot next to him. Mokuba liked to sit at the head of the table, between 'his two favorite people' and Kaiba didn't care to correct him. "So, what's this about?" Mokuba asked, picking up his fork for the first time and poking at his salad.

"I've decided to throw a tournament." Mokuba brightened up and Mina glanced down at her plate. She had played duel monsters when she was little, the game created by her uncle, but no longer held love for it. The boys on the other hand, loved it. It was like Seto and Mokuba thrived on it. Mokuba would be thrilled to play with his brother and Seto... It looked like he was... his age. A normal eighteen year old just playing games. He was still arrogant, but it was normal to talk smack when competing, wasn't it? She didn't remember.

"Cool! What's the hitch?" Mokuba was always fast to pick up on how he worked.

"Not only are we going to be sporting the new duel disks, the first section will happen all over Domino, as the Battle City tournament starts. I've already met with the city officials. We have a go."

"Oohh, Urban, not many tournaments like that!" Mokuba said, though it sounded like most of his excitement was forced. No matter, he would love the next part.

"Then the finalists take to the skies. We battle atop a blimp as we travel to where the final duel takes place, atop Battle Tower. The old manufacturing plant." Mokuba's eyes widened. Now it was genuine excitement. Seto smirked, stabbing some lettuce and bringing it to his mouth. He paused, about to take a bite as he looked over Mina. She was glancing down at Mokuba, amused by his excitement, but she seemed almost sad. "You will be joining us right?"

Mina looked to him, caught a little off guard with his request. She glanced back to Mokuba who smirked up at her and waited for her reply.

"Well... I don't really duel." She said shyly. Seto waved the fork full of lettuce dismissively.

"That doesn't matter. You can watch and enjoy the time up there. I only offer because I don't feel right leaving you here alone for the few days the finals would take." She thought about it again, agreeing with him. She was more comfortable in the mansion on her own now, but she hadn't been left there alone for more than a few hours. She wasn't ready to leave Mokuba's side.

"Yes... you're right. Thank you." She nodded her head politely, then looked back at him to catch the last moments of a smirk as he finally bit off the lettuce his fork barely maintained. They chatted briefly over dinner and afterwards Kaiba had some business work he had to do in his private office and Mokuba grabbed her hand and dragged her to his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"Mina..." He started, shifting as he approached her, she had sat on the edge of his bed, as she usually did when they hung out in his room.

"What's the matter Mokuba?" She asked with concern. He glanced up at her before his eyes returned to his feet.

"Will... Will you go out with Seto?" The color in her face drained as the thought of being with someone entered her mind. She knew Seto was not like Max. That he wouldn't hurt her... but still, the thought of being intimate with anyone...

"Mokuba, I don't think I'm ready for that sort of thing."

"Please!" The boy finally met her eyes and moved before her, dropping to his knees dramatically. "He wont hurt you, I know he wont, and you... you wouldn't hurt him. You'd be great together. Seto's so boring and miserable all the time. You're fun and exciting and you could make him happy. You already do! He smiled at you. I saw it. It was a real smile. You make him happy. I always want him to be happy. Always. Please."

"Mokuba, I cant." Her fingers trembled as she clenched the fabric of the pants she wore. "I don't... I know I cant. Not yet. I'm just not ready for that. Please Mokuba." She ushered her own request and the boy looked away sadly.

"Fine... but if he does ask, which he probably wont do for a while, please... don't hurt him. Say yes. He'll be the best for you. He'll do anything for you. Anything and everything. Don't let him go. He needs you." the boy fixed her with a pleading stare before stepping out of his room.

Needs her? How could a man that has everything need her? She sat perplexed through the rest of the night, trying to figure out what made her so special.

* * *

A knock on his door brought his eyes off his computer screen for the first time in hours. He grunted, granting whoever it was approval to enter and his little brother slipped in, cautiously closing the door behind him. He glanced at the clock then gave the boy a disapproving look.

"It's eleven thirty. You should be in bed."

"You really like her don't you?" Seto paused. Mokuba skipped right over his question and fatherly tone and went straight into his issue. Mina.

"What? Mokub-"

"No, I know it. You really like her. Do something about it." Mokuba was acting oddly. He didn't have the same glimmer in his eye that he usually did. He was serious.

"Did she put you up to this?" Seto didn't have accusation in his voice. He just seemed tired, as he should be after all the hours he spent working that day.

"N-no." Mokuba responded.

"Then no." Mokuba looked at him in shock. Was he saying that if she put him up to it, he would have said yes? " Mokuba, she's not ready for that kind of thing yet." He was. He was saying he...

"Then you do like her!" Seto's eyes narrowed. "Why not just go out already?"

"Because she cant deal with that right now. I'm not going to pressure her into anything she cant handle. I'm not even going to make her think about that sort of thing until she can handle it better."

"Just thinking about it is..." Mokuba shifted again, feeling he had made a terrible mistake. His brother nodded, making him feel worse. "Why?" Seto sighed.

"Because, Mokuba, when someone goes through something so... invasive, it's difficult to even think about opening up to someone. It hurts. I'm not going to do that to her." Mokuba remained quiet for another fifteen minutes while his brother began to type again. When he closed the lid to his laptop and rose from the desk, a thought popped back into Mokuba's mind.

"So... you really like her huh?" Seto paused, glaring down at his nosy brother. "You care about her. I know you the best. You love her. Well, maybe not love, but the way you look at her-"

"Yes." Seto glanced away and felt his brother's gaze lingering on him. "I do."

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**See? Kaiba can be considerate. at least in this fic. Something tells me he's had a lot of time just thinking about it. It just strikes me as something Kaiba would do. Gather as much information and perspective before making a decision and take every point into account before making a move. Of course, it also could be the fact that I'm the author and I planned this... but we'll go with the first one.**

**Read, Review, Enjoy~Love Ya!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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The next two weeks were spent seeing less and less of Seto. As he worked on fixing a dueling stadium to the new Kaiba Corp blimp, Mokuba kept busy with learning the new rules of the tournament and making sure the refs who monitored the competition also had perfect understanding of them. She was losing them. But it was alright. The tournament would only be a two day event, and after all of it, she would feel right at home again.

The few times she had spent with them, the occasional lunch or dinner, or just a moment where they all happened to not be doing something, she felt awkward. She knew she shouldn't have, but the idea of her and Seto... Mokuba only meant the best for her, but she just couldn't... couldn't stop thinking about it. Would he hurt her? No. He protected her. He cared for her. He didn't think she was pretty. She was beautiful to him.

She glanced up from her spot on the couch to peer over at him while he typed absently on his laptop. She knew he wasn't doing real work, he was probably playing minesweeper. He already memorized the patterns of the game, but continued to play nonetheless. He looked so... bored. But there was a peace with that boredom. He always said he hated not having anything to do, but he couldn't fool them all the time. He needed his rest, and even enjoyed it.

A moment passed and the clicking from his mouse stopped. His eyes unfocused then flickered over to her. He had caught her. She fumbled about, glancing back at the television screen and waited to hear the clicking sounds from his mouse again to look back. Her face felt hot and she seemed to be light headed. Her stomach was just settling back down from it's churning and she could focus again.

He was stunning. She hadn't seen many people, other than on the television, and he put them all to shame. He was tall, dark and handsome, and his eyes held a cold fire in them. Something that could freeze and burn you in one gaze. It was... haunting. She looked away before he could glance up at her again. There was one thing that worried her. His temper. He had blown up at her before. It scared her.

He was a strong man. Someone who was completely in control, and when he lost it, it was terrifying. But he did stop. He calmed himself. He didn't hurt her... The emotions were too mixed. It was too soon for this. She couldn't deal with it. She lifted herself and moved off to her room, wordlessly.

He was a good man. Scary, but good. He wouldn't hurt her. He would only ever protect her. She knew this, but her body and mind didn't care. They needed proof. Proof they shouldn't need. If he came too close to her, she would flinch. If he spoke harshly to her, she would break. She needed more time, but... he just wouldn't leave her mind.

A knock came to her door, all too politely. She knew she had left it open. It was probably him, wasn't it? She looked up and confirmed it. He waited in the doorway until she nodded him in. She didn't really want to be near him right now, but she would never deny him access to any part of his home. He moved towards her, but gave her her space. She was grateful for that. He was considerate. He was always considerate.

"Are you alright?" He asked tentatively. She nodded slowly, but he shook his head. "I only ask out of courtesy. I know something's wrong. It was something Mokuba said to you, right?" She stared at him blankly and he nodded, knowing. "He approached me as well. I don't want you to think about it. I know you need time. I would. I'm not going to pressure you into anything. If you choose to do something, I want you to do it. Don't fear the consequences. They wont be harsh, if there are any at all. I just want you to feel safe here. Nothing is going to hurt you here." He turned and made it half way out the door before being stopped but small fragile arms around him.

"Thank you." Her quivering voice called out. He turned slowly, embracing her in return and she looked up at him.

"Don't listen to Mokuba. He's... enthusiastic." He said it with a grin and she found herself smiling and nodding as well. "Now, you should rest up, the tournament starts tomorrow. It's going to be a long day." She nodded again and moved back from him. He started out the door, turning in the frame one last time and closing the door for her.

* * *

"How the hell did Wheeler get in? Who authorized that?" He demanded before Mokuba promptly told him to chill out. "I'm going to have to look into this." He muttered, moving out of the command center of his blimp. Mokuba immediately began to follow him and he paused, glancing down at the boy and up at Mina. His eyes returned to Mokuba and he leveled him with a stare, then sighed.

"Mokuba... I cant risk telling you to stay put, because you'll just sneak out and follow me anyways, so you stay at my side at all times." He looked back to Mina now. "You I can trust to stay put, right?" It was a half joke and she smiled down at him.

"Yes." He turned and moved out, Mokuba carrying his briefcase for him at his side. Those were her boys. She relaxed and watched a few duels atop a screen. Hours passed and she was thoroughly bored. She didn't know much about modern dueling, her only experience being of the table top variety, so she assumed the odd happenings were planned when they took place, not understanding why some people began to freak out.

While out in the town, Kaiba earned himself his locater cards expertly, while more people did the same. When it was finally time to bring everyone together, her boys marched right back to the blimp. Seto seemed disgruntled, and Mokuba was very quiet, but both put that aside to keep the show on the road.

"I'm surprised you made it this far." He said as he glanced down to a blond boy. The boy immediately growled and moved up, but was restrained by the people behind him.

"I'm better than one freakin star, Kaiba!" He screamed out, but Seto just smirked.

"This part is for duelists only. The others will have to stay behind." He smirked as the group looked between themselves.

"Why cant we come? It's not like we're all that much more work!" One of them argued, and Mokuba looked through them. He seemed to pause on the tall brunette girl and glance back to his brother.

"Seto, I'm not a duelist." He argued for them, and Seto glared down at them.

"That's different Mokuba, you worked on this tournament." The boy glanced back at Mina and then to his brother again.

"She didn't." He argued again. Seto's eyes flickered over to her and she looked away. He rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Fine." The group moved aboard and slowly all of the finalists made their ways onto the blimp.

Seto made the announcement as public as possible, that their final dueling stage would be a blimp, flashing his face on bill boards all over the city and listening to the roar from the crowds still on the street as the finalists lifted into the sky. The duels would be broadcast over those same large screens as they happened.

It didn't take long for something to get out of hand. She was instructed to wait inside her room until further notice, but after an hour, curiosity got the best of her. She knocked on Kaiba's door, waiting for him to open it, but voices inside caught her attention. They were arguing. There were many of them. She typed in his pass code and the door slid open. Everyone quieted themselves, but only momentarily.

"Please, Kaiba. Have some compassion." A young girl begged. He didn't look up at Mina. He just looked at the redhead for a few moments as she bowed low.

"Call the first aid response team to room fourteen." He finally said into an intercom. "Now, get out." He demanded. The group started to filter out, moving around Mina as they did. "I told you to wait in your room." he said quietly.

"It's been over an hour. What was that?" He shook his head, not wanting to explain the situation again. He beckoned her over to the table and she sat across from him. "You're stressing too much." He shook his head again, but sighed.

"There's a lot of work that goes into these." She leveled him with a disapproving stare and he felt himself chuckle. She was more comfortable with him. "They... this means a lot to me." He finally admitted.

"And do you think being tense and agitated throughout it all will make it better? I know you want this to be perfect, but I think it already is. There are just some things you cant control, and to try might actually ruin them." He shifted, sitting up and looking like he was getting ready to defend his case when she took his hand. "Please, you've done so much, just enjoy this." she gave his hand another squeeze and he smirked.

"...What... What could it hurt?" She smiled brightly and pulled back from him and he couldn't help but return the smile. He glanced behind him and sighed. "The next duel starts in ten minutes and Mokuba's already down." She looked past his shoulder and saw the boy sleeping on one of the swivel chairs.

"He'll wake up to watch it. Are you dueling next?"

"No. It's Wheeler against that Marik guy. Honestly I don't see why Wheeler even joined."

"Maybe he just wanted to have some fun too?" She caught his eye and he fixed her with a dull stare. Maybe she had a point. Maybe he should just let what happens happen. What could it hurt, right?

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**Last chappie before the weekend! But hey, I'll see you all on monday right? Have a great weekend!**

**Read, Review, Enjoy~Love Ya!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

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"Fate my ass." Seto nearly collapsed onto his bed. He hadn't slept all the night before, and cherished the idea that there would be at least ten hours between now and the next duel. If only the people outside his room felt the same way.

Another bang and an angry tone slithered through the metal door of the blimp and Seto had had enough. He threw open the door and glared at everyone in the hall. There were only three boys, well, a moment later Mina moved into the hall, but she wasn't the cause of his distress.

"Just keep ya mitts of my baby sistah!" Joey's cockney voice scraped into his ears as he shook his fist at the brunette Seto had assumed was his friend, and Duke Devlin.

"J-Joey..." the idiot said in shock as Duke just smirked.

"I cant guarantee she'll keep her hands off of me though. I'm like candy to the ladies. Like a popsicle they just cant get enough of, am I right?" Duke turned back to Mina and she froze. She had no part in their conversation and didn't even inhabit the same space as them longer than a few seconds before getting pulled into their tiff.

"Duke I'mma cut your hands off, I swear-"

"It isn't my hands you really have to worry about, though, they can be quite... pleasing." He spoke slowly, leaning against the side of the hall, over Mina, she backed away slowly, but he gripped her chin in his hand, stroking her jaw as he smirked. "What do you say I show you what I mean? There's a lot I'd do for a pretty face like that." Seto didn't need to see her to know the color had drained from her face and ice flew freely through her veins. He didn't even stop to look. Duke's arm was twisted around his back, forcing him into a bent submissive pose.

"Fucking touch her again." Seto warned, lifting the arm and making Duke whimper.

"Fine, fine I get it, she's yours!" He said, giving in. Seto released him and glared for a while.

"Get to your rooms. All of you." He said simply, not contesting the wording Duke had chosen, merely wanting this to be over as fast as possible. He glared over his shoulder, leveling each of the boys with the same glare and moved off to his room again. He made it to the bed, shifting and sitting up when he noticed Mina standing in the doorway.

"I... I don't want to be alone."

"Close the door behind you." He didn't hesitate. She could get almost anything from him if she ever asked. She nodded hastily and moved in, closing the door as he requested. He moved over on his full sized bed and patted the space next to him. She sat as he pulled out his laptop. He paused a moment, then turned to her. "Are you ok?"

"...Can I not talk about it?" She looked up at him hopefully and he sighed, moving closer and pulling her against him. She rested her head against his chest as his arm fell around her shoulders.

"I wont ever let anyone hurt you." He reiterated.

"I know. It doesn't mean I'm not scared of them." She responded quietly.

"I know." He tilted his laptop towards her and brought up a list of movies. She picked one and he began to watch it, but didn't last long. The stress and excitement finally took him.

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Those eyes. Looking down at her so... lovingly. She wanted to vomit. One brown, the other gold. They haunted her. Even in her sleep. They hovered over her. Nailed her to the spot and watched her squirm. She sucked in a breath but it was like her body just couldn't manage it.

His eyes cracked open, but the world around him was blurry. It was dark and something was stirring next to him. He blinked a few times and turned. It was Mina. How long had he been asleep? Was she panicking about their closeness? He gently gripped her arm and shook her.

"Mina." He called quietly, but she still snapped awake. Tears lined her eyes and she looked like a scared rabbit.

"S-Seto..." She clung to him and put him more at ease. She wasn't worrying about him. It was a nightmare.

"Shhhh, calm down, it's all right. No one's going to-"

"Seto, please..." He stopped waiting for her to elaborate. She glanced up at him and sniffled. "I... I cant stop dreaming about him...He... what if he comes back?"

"He wont."

"How do you-"

"He's dead." She was silent for a while and he could read the question in her eyes. "It wasn't me. Apparently while we escaped, he was murdered and robbed. He's dead, and he's never coming back." Her fingers loosened against his now wrinkled clothes, but didn't release him.

"I... still see him in my dreams... I..." Seto closed his eyes and kissed her head. "I don't want to wake up without you..."

"Mina..." She pulled him closer and he let her lean in, hoping this was the right decision as her lips came closer to his. He could feel her breath on his mouth and closed his eyes, waiting for her to make her move on her own. He could almost feel her, almost sense how close they were, when the entire blimp shook violently. "What... what the hell was that?" He pushed himself up, still holding her against him and looked around. He got up and made his way to the door, but turned on Mina who was following him. "Stay here." He didn't give her an option, he simply closed the door and rushed off.

She hated being alone. She was alone for so long. She would wait but only so long. Only fifteen minutes passed before she popped her head out of the door way. She made her way to the deck and everyone was quiet. There was no sign of the duelists nor either brother. She was beginning to get worried.

"Where are they?"

"Miss Mina... Mr. Kaiba's gone out to deal with this situation. Please return to your room." One of the men usually guarding Seto said, rising to usher her back, but she pulled away. She didn't like his closeness and didn't like that she didn't know where the boys were.

"What is this situation?" The guard stopped.

"We... We've been hijacked. The guy that did it demanded Mr. Kaiba and the guests go to him." She immediately switched directions, heading for the blimps exit ramp. "No! Miss, you cant, he's got lasers trained on the stairs." Mina froze. Lasers? He meant to kill them if they helped? What about Seto and Mokuba? Did he mean to kill them too?

"And you just let them go? Aren't you supposed to keep them safe?" The guard lowered his gaze in shame. "I'm not going to leave them. They're everything to me. God, they could be dead already! And you just... no I wont abandon them. I'm going!" She ripped away, rushing toward the exit before he could stop her.

Noah watched the happenings as the group moved into his main chamber. The five were talking to them, showing them the rules of his own little game. He smirked. Seto wouldn't know what hit him. Soon. Soon he would have everything he should have had. His lasers auto react grabbed his attention to the blimp room. A girl with shoulder length black hair and emerald green eyes was attempting to leave the blimp. She didn't look like one of the body guards. If anything, she was one of the duelists. Fool. She should have stayed safe inside the blimp.

"And what do you think you are doing?" Noah called amusedly as she stopped at the top of the stairs leading out of the blimp. She hesitated for a moment, glancing around.

"Where is Seto? Mokuba? All of them?"

"You truly want to join them?" She was scarred. She should be.

"Y-Yes."

"Then you can pass. No one else." The girl hesitated again, looking around before rushing through the once dangerous zone. As she made it into the room one of the duelists fell right into the floor. Holes popped up, sucking them through systematically. She rushed to him as fast as she could.

"Seto!" She could see his body go rigid as he turned to her.

"No..." He barely made out as a hole appeared under him and Mokuba.

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**Welcome back from the weekend! I was sooooo busy all the time! Goodness I barely got enough time to write! Well, don't forget tot ell me what you think? I love them tasty reviews!**

**Read, Review, Enjoy~Love Ya!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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"What the hell were you thinking!?" Seto demanded as he finally woke. They were in a forest of sorts, Mokuba next to him, kneeling.

"I was afraid you had... Mokuba was..." She looked at the ground beneath her and shook her head. "I made my choice. I will deal with the consequences." Seto's lips thinned. "You're mad at me aren't you?" He rolled his eyes, sighing frustratedly and lifting himself.

"Lets just get out of here." He extended an arm to her to help her up as Mokuba moved to take her other hand.

"I'm glad you're both safe."

"We're not safe yet." They moved through the trees for a while when Mokuba jutted forward.

"Look! A door!" He called and Seto and Mina rushed after him.

"Mokuba stop right there!" Mokuba froze as his hand was about to turn the knob.

"It could be a back door out." He reasoned, but Seto glared down at him.

"That would be too convenient." Kaiba reached down towards the door knob and paused, glancing at Mokuba again. "I don't want you risking yourself anymore." He finished by opening the door slowly. Both brothers tensed.

"Seto... that's... the orphanage." Mokuba moved in, followed by Seto, then finally Mina. Mokuba glanced to the side and stopped. There was another Mokuba, younger, on the swing set.

"You spent the first day just sitting there..." Seto remembered.

"I never told anyone that! Seto, what's happening?" Mokuba asked, stepping back from it all.

"...Grrr. That boy... He's tapped into our memories. It's nothing more than an illusion. A recording. It's fake." Seto said assuredly.

"Good job. But what else can we expect from the great Seto Kaiba?" The annoying voice called out again.

"What do you want from us?"

"All in good time. For now, just sit back and enjoy the show."They watched as the young Seto approached Mokuba, and the boys took a walk together.

"Mokuba, don't. We need to get tough. Emotions will only weaken us. We just have to settle on the fact that no one will ever help us again. We can only count on each other." The little boy said to his brother.

"I guess that was your idea of a pep talk... thanks." the real Mokuba said up to his brother. The boys returned to the orphanage, but as they did, the sky brightened and the boys faded.

"Just this way, Mr. Kaiba." Seto spun in place, facing his worst nightmare.

"This... is an illusion. It's all just fake..." He said again as Gozaburo waltzed past him.

"Just make sure none of these brats touch me." the billionaire said in a huff. "Just take a few pictures for the paper and lets get out of here." Seto narrowed his eyes as he watched himself move out of a room nearby and challenge the CEO. He stayed outside as they started their chess game.

"This was the day I got us out of that rat hole." He said as Mina peeked in.

"But at what cost?" Mokuba argued, pulling his brother's eyes down onto him.

"Mokuba, I gave you a new life-"

"You suffered. You changed. You stopped calling me Moki. You stopped smiling. I would have stayed in this place. I didn't want you to hurt for-"

"Mokuba, calm down. Don't you see? He's trying to use these against us. The past is the past. We cant change it." Mina moved in front of Mokuba kneeling to hug the boy, but he moved to brush past her, going to enter the room anyways. The door slid open and a gust of wind came up from below. Mina, who was still mostly in front of Mokuba tipped backwards as the sudden lack of door gave her nothing to steady herself against.

Seto didn't think. He just moved. He ripped Mokuba backwards and grabbed for her, leaving her dangling over what appeared to be a giant cavern.

"Mina!" He called, panicking.

'Mina...Min- Mina Crawford?' The name raced through Noah's mind as he watched Seto pull her up from the canyon. Mina. His Mina. The girl clutched Seto to herself and he hugged her. She lifted her head and their lips finally met. It was a soft but passionate kiss. He watched as Seto clung on to her, even though she was already safe. It only fueled him more.

"My home..." The boy materialized in front of them and the brothers spun to face him. Mina froze. "My inheritance. My company. And now my wife?" Noah spat. He strode forward as Seto moved between him and the others.

"N-Noah?" She stuttered out. His glare moved to her and she sucked in a sharp breath. "But you're... you're..."

"Dead? No. Trapped. Stuck here for seven long years. I should..." His body began to glow and morph. Soon he was a height just shorter that Seto. "look more like this by now." His new deep voice was just as hate filled as when he was portraying his youth, but other than that, held little similarity. She took an unsteady step forward, but Seto put an arm out, blocking her. "That's right. Stay with your man, traitor." Noah sneered.

"Traitor? Noah... you were... you died..." Mina's eyes watered as she laid a hand on Seto's arm. She gently moved him aside and walked to Noah.

"Mina." Seto hissed, but it was too late. Her fingers trembled as the traced his cheek. His glare remained on her but he allowed the contact.

"I... was devastated." She choked out. He remained silent. "It took... years. Noah you weren't just my... you were my best friend. I loved you." Seto glanced rapidly between the two. Noah's glare faded a bit and Mina squeezed her eyes closed. "I thought I'd never see you again." Her arms circled him and he just looked at her in shock. His hand absently made it's way to her back and he sighed.

"But this isn't me." she looked up at him, but his eyes were closed. "This is just my mind. I don't have a body. Well, not yet." He restored his gaze on Seto and Mina sucked in a sharp breath. "Then I can have you again. I can have you for real."

"Noah, please, don't-"

"Don't? Don't live? Do you even remember? You claimed you loved me. You promised me your hand, was that a lie? Or... do I remember it wrong?" Suddenly around them was moving and laughing. The ball room at the Kaiba mansion, years before the brothers owned it. The music stopped and the crowd went silent, parting for a particular blue haired boy to pass through. Noah made his way to a young Mina and knelt before her.

"I've gotten many great birthday presents this day, but the best yet would be your hand, if you'll give it to me." Little Mina nodded and the boy rose, hugging her. She bashfully pulled back and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek as the projection faded.

"I've spent the last seven and a half years in this hell. All because of one car." Noah closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "One damned car." He repeated.

"Dad... Dad was taken away from us by a car accident." Mokuba said sadly, moving up. "We lost everything. You may have lost your life, but we've also had to struggle to live. Seto hasn't smiled or called me Moki. We've been miserable. We want to be happy too. Don't we deserve to be happy too?" Seto knelt and pulled his brother against him. "No! Seto! Don't ever let him take you. We just got our happiness back... You're smiling again. Seto... Please!" Mokuba begged, clinging to his brother. Mina looked over the boys. She loved them so much. They saved her. They gave her back her life. She couldn't let them suffer more.

"Noah, you're lonely here, aren't you? Trapped in a world like this. There's nothing real except you." Her hand caressed his cheek and he glanced down at her. "I'll stay here Noah. I'll stay here with you. Just let them be."

"Mina-"

"Fine." Noah cut Seto off and both brothers fell dead silent. The deal was made. She would stay, and both Kaiba's would live.

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**I've decided to draw older Noah... Not sure how I feel about it. You can look at it too on my deviant art account, same name: Kehkansklover. **

**To Name What name: I tried to portray time passing by having these chapters (the middle ones) happen weeks between, but I guess I'm not doing as good a job as I thought, sorry it seems like it's moving too fast. This has been months since Seto rescued her and Mokuba. She's bonded with them. As for her character, I wanted her to have pretty much no character at all to begin with. She started as a broken thing, she's only just getting her mind back to where she's comfortable and she still hasn't discovered herself again yet. All she knows is she'd do anything for the boys. She's still a little broken, but she now knows at least that much. As for the summary... I hate summaries... I'm sorry, I just plain suck at them. It does only really cover the first few chapters... but I couldn't think of anything else. If anyone could come up with a better summary or has an idea for one in mind, please could I steal it? I hate mine.**

**Thanks all for the reviews! They're really helping me figure out what I need to change about how I write and where I excel. I cant wait to get more reviews from all of you soon!  
**

**Read, Review, Enjoy~Love Ya!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

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"I expected more strength from you Noah." The voice came from nowhere and everywhere all at once. The group looked around but the Kaiba's knew exactly who it was. "You obviously don't have the same determination to be free that I do. I guess this will be your true final resting place, son." Noah blinked a few times and slowly the form of Gozaburo Kaiba appeared before them.

"You... You forgot about me a long time ago... How..."

"You're supposed to be dead..." Seto added to Noah's confusion. The elderly man laughed.

"So was he." He nodded to his son and the boy calmed himself, removing the shock so he may think more clearly.

"What are you doing here?" Noah demanded, a little put off that his private world, his sanctuary, had been so carelessly entered.

"I'm getting a body." He looked over his shoulder at his son before moving rapidly into Seto. Immediately Seto fell to his knees struggling with an unseen force.

"Wh... What is this?" Noah's eyes moved rapidly around, but was focusing on nothing.

"What Noah? What's going on?" Mina looked between Seto and Noah, trying to understand, but everything was happening so fast. Mokuba rushed to Seto's side, trying to help the panicking boy, while Mina sat uselessly at Noah's side.

"He's sending a transmission, no multiple transmissions... but why... He's sending bombs to the capitols of fourteen major countries! He's starting a war!" Noah's eyes widened, but he couldn't find the strength to move. His body faded in and out, but remained perfectly still.

"Can you stop them?" Mina asked desperately.

"...No... I'm... I'm trying but..." He growled in frustration before his eyes snapped to Mokuba. "It has to be done manually." His body then disappeared, and Mokuba went still. He turned to Mina and glanced down before slowly moving away.

"Noah... no... Mokuba...you're... you cant! Noah, you cant just leave us here! Noah!" It was too late. The boy's form had already disappeared. Mina tried desperately to calm Kaiba, but he just growled and grunted, in seemingly excruciating pain. "Seto? Fight Seto... Don't give up. Seto... I love you... Please..." Mina pleaded. The moment she spoke the words, he finally straightened.

"Love me?" It was a mocking tone. He looked at her through amused eyes. "Then why don't you give me a little kiss?" He reached for her, but she shot back. It wasn't Seto anymore, he had lost the struggle. Gozaburo Kaiba had won.

Suddenly the area around them flashed a bright red. The new Seto before her looked around in a mixture of anger and confusion. He was silent for a moment then,

"What.. he's going to kill you? He would really risk you?" He said to her, glancing around the virtual world.

"Wh-what?"

"The little... he is my son after all... He's set the bombs manually. Their new destination... is you. Well, it's this place, but you don't know how to get out, do you? I do." He slowly began fading away when Noah appeared, jumping through him and ripping Gozaburo from Seto.

"Take that door! It'll lead you back to the blimp. Get out of here." He said, clinging to Gozaburo's back.

"But what about you?" She tried, but Seto, now back in control, wouldn't let her get her answer. She was almost through the door when she looked back at Noah, who smiled one last time before she was standing in front of the blimp. She rushed into it with Seto as all the others from the tournament poured towards them. It looked like Noah set them all free. "Seto... But Seto, what about Noah? He'll die!" She begged, but he shook his head. There was no time. He pulled her aboard and closed the hatch. He had to make it to the deck.

Once inside he sat, firing up the engines. He yanked his hand back as a spark of electricity zapped him, but ignored it and continued on. The thrusters kicked in as the blimp picked up the missiles on the radar. They had little time to move. He pushed the throttle into full forward gear and the blimp took off, leaving the doomed vessel bellow it as Mina wept again for her friend.

"Set a course for home." Seto commanded, raising from his seat as another took it. He moved towards Mina, who was looking down at the compound below them, and reached out to her. He almost made it before something made his blood freeze over.

_'Don't touch her.'_ It was Noah's voice. But it was coming from inside his head, as if he thought that exact line in Noah's exact voice... but he hadn't thought it... it was something else._ 'At least not while I'm in you.'_

'Noah...' Seto thought quietly.

_'Yes... I uploaded a copy of myself into the blimp. I downloaded myself into you while you plugged in your security key.'_ The zap..._ 'I... Cant remain in this form long. I... I need you to download me into a virtual world. I'll tell you how. I'll never bother you, or Mina again. I'm just... not ready to die._' Seto did feel some pity for him. He supposed he could do him this favor.

'I have a virtual world set up already. It's... a game. People will be playing in it.' The image of Noah being exceedingly happy flashed through his mind.

'_I will get to interact with real people?'_ Noah asked, almost like a child asking if it was time to open Christmas presents yet. Kaiba stopped himself from smirking. He almost reminded him of Mokuba.

'Yes.'

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"Seto?" He glanced back as Mina entered his room. He hadn't wanted to be around her while Noah was inside him. Hoping to appease the slowly fading boy in his mind. He just had to make it back to the lab. They were almost there. Any minute now they would be landing, but he knew she would find him first. He knew she wouldn't wait.

"Yes?" He asked, rising as she moved towards him, but made no attempt to go to her.

"Are you alright?" She did close the distance between them, but only up to a foot.

"Tired." He said shortly.

_'You're not going to tell her about me?'_ Noah asked flatly.

'No.' Seto responded in thought.

"Do... Do you think... Noah got out?" She asked him hopefully, ripping his thoughts from the boy in his mind. He remained quiet for a long time, and Mina was beginning to look at him as if he had said no. He was waiting. He was waiting for Noah to speak, but the boy was also silent.

"Do you love him?" Seto finally spoke. Mina looked over him for a moment and smiled.

"He was my best friend, and... at one point yes. I loved him. I still have him in my heart, that will never change, but... I love you Seto." He could feel the boy's heart breaking, but he suffered wordlessly.

"He did escape." Seto said quietly. Mina's eyes shot to him and Noah uttered a confused 'Huh?' "He... His mind is downloaded into mine. I'm going to put him into my virtual world. He'll get to talk to people from all over the world. You... can even visit him." Seto didn't like saying it. He didn't want any residual feelings for the boy to rip her from him, but he couldn't let her go on line that. He didn't want to see her hurt. Not ever.

A thin layer of tears lined her eyes as she looked over him in shock. He glanced at the floor, guilty that he hadn't said it before. He had told her, though. Something he didn't want to do. Something he wasn't planning on doing at all. He told her. There was no going back now. The blimp's reverse thrusters engaged and the aircraft slowed and prepared for landing. It was only a matter of time now.

Once on the ground, Kaiba flipped open his cell and dialed the lab, making sure the preparations were being met. He then called his office, letting them know to set up the battle stadium atop Kaiba Corp Headquarters. They would use that instead of battle tower. He just didn't have the stomach to fly again any time soon.

The capsules were open and ready, and with the help of Noah, Kaiba was able to rewire and program one of them to download consciousnesses. He ran the program, waited a moment, then destroyed the pod. He didn't need that technology getting out into the wrong hands. He moved to the pod next to it and entered the game, overriding the initial welcome and placing him straight into the virtual world. Mina had been waiting there for him.

She glanced to Seto and smiled. She was face to face with Noah. Her best friend. Seto's competition. They spent over an hour in there before Seto needed to leave. He had a tournament to finish. He frowned when Mina decided to stay behind, but decided to trust her.

He came in third. Third place. In his own tournament. He couldn't exactly push the blame onto anyone other than himself. He wasn't focused. All he could think about was her... If she was still with Noah. If she never wanted to leave him. Would he be able to let her go? He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, then put on his best fake smile as he gave his congratulations to the winner publicly. He moved to the elevators, and pressed the button, no longer willing to wait any longer. As the doors opened he stopped.

"I heard... you came in third place." She was standing there in the elevator, with him, not Noah. "Are you alrig-" He squeezed her against him. She chose him. She still chose him. It's all he wanted. She giggled as she pulled away slightly, looking into his eyes. He leaned down slowly, giving her time to object, but she only stepped into him, closing the gap. A kiss. A simple, passionate, loving, perfect kiss. He never wanted it to end.

She didn't either.

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**The end! Wow... that's all I really have to say about this one. I liked what I did with it, even if it did seem a little rushed...**

**Read, Review, Enjoy~Love You!  
**


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